Staff Reporter
AS NAMIBIA celebrated World Teachers’ Day 2026 on Monday, highlighting the importance of teachers and the need for better support in education, hundreds of high schools in France remained closed ahead of a nationwide day of student protests over teacher shortages, overcrowding, deteriorating school infrastructure and unequal access to education.
The protests, which began in late September at a high school in Créteil, southeast of Paris, have spread nationwide, with about 400 to 500 of France’s 3,700 high schools expected to remain fully or partially closed.
The demonstrations are expected to intensify today as student unions have called for a nationwide day of protests, while the influential CGT labour union has also urged workers to take part.
French authorities are preparing for further clashes between protesters and police, after thousands of people were arrested last week and hundreds of students, teachers and police officers were injured.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said more than 5,000 people had been arrested, with about 85% of them minors, following clashes between students and security forces.
The protests initially focused on a lack of teaching staff at a high school in Créteil but quickly expanded to broader concerns about inequalities in the education system, poor facilities, overcrowding and working conditions.
Students have argued that young people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods do not have the same access to quality teaching, facilities and opportunities as those in wealthier areas.
Placards carried by early protesters included messages such as “Too many inequalities, we’re disgusted” and “Education is a right, not a privilege”.
Teachers have also raised concerns about deteriorating conditions.
“The public needs to know that conditions for studying are no longer what they were for us. It has deteriorated significantly,” said Paris literature teacher Sophie Bordy.
Students have complained about classrooms that become excessively hot during summer heatwaves and cold during winter, while French media have reported images of rats, leaking roofs, damaged ceilings and broken furniture at some schools.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked since the protests began, while 78 teaching staff had been injured.
Police and students have clashed in several cities, with tear gas used in Toulouse and confrontations reported in Lille. In Paris, a school in the 13th district was attacked by a group wearing hoods and masks, who allegedly attempted to break through the entrance and started a fire.
Carole Zerbib, head of the affected Lycée Vauquelin, said the incident was carried out by people who were not students at the school.
“It was very violent and happened very quickly,” she said, adding that the attack lasted between 15 and 20 minutes.
French authorities have warned that the protests could be taken over by far-left and anarchist groups, raising concerns about further violence during today’s demonstrations.
Paris police chief Patrice Faure has called on students to abandon school blockades in favour of peaceful protests, saying those who initially launched the movement no longer control it.
The government has also announced plans to fast-track legislation that would make people found responsible for damaging property during protests financially liable for the damage.
The protests come as President Emmanuel Macron’s government seeks to pass a deficit-reducing 2027 budget. Education is among the largest items in the proposed state budget, with €65.5 billion earmarked for schools compared with €63.4 billion for defence.
Students have also criticised the long school day, with compulsory hours for French high school learners among the highest in Europe.
The political opposition has increasingly entered the debate, with France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon backing the students and urging his supporters to protect them from police.
Mélenchon has accused police of using excessive force, while critics have accused his party of exploiting the protests for political gain. He has denied that France Unbowed is organising the movement and has called for it to remain non-violent.
With student unions maintaining their call for nationwide demonstrations and the CGT joining today’s mobilisation, French authorities face a fresh test in containing the unrest while addressing the education concerns that sparked the protests.
Sources: Reuters/Euro News
Photo: Reuters
